Finding Home
by DianneRose2016
Summary: When Bravo Team is assigned a mission to guard a military asset, it seems like it will be a walk in the park. Only they didn't expect for it to be a twenty-three-year-old kid with trust issues who had been let down by every single person in his life. Can Bravo show him that not everyone is out to hurt him? Or will they fail him too when the person hell-bent on killing him returns?


_**A/N: So I've been reading a lot of SEAL Team Fics recently and I've gotten this idea into my head, so I'm writing it out and hopefully it will turn out well. This is going to be a different take on SEAL Team from the very beginning.**_

_**Summary: When Bravo Team is assigned a mission to guard a high valued military asset back home, it seems like it will be a walk in the park. Only they didn't expect for it to be a twenty-three year old kid with trust issues who had been let down by every single person in his life. In order to protect him, they first need to gain his trust, which is not easy, especially after he was betrayed by someone in the military. With no family or friends, the concept of a team is completely foreign to him. Can Bravo show him that not everyone is out to hurt him? Or will they fail him too when the person hell bent on killing him returns? **_

_**Story Warnings: Mention of torture, signs of trauma, swearing, violence**_

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Chapter 1

It was mid-afternoon and Bravo Team was in their cages getting ready for their upcoming tour. They were set on rotation to be leaving in two days and every time they went on tour it was always a process. They had a lot of gear they needed to bring with them. They were very lucky that they had Davis and she could not only handle all of their crazy demands, but she always remembered their preferences. They told her something once and she always remembered it. She had saved their asses more times than they could count. It was why they always treated her like she was one of them, because when they were out in the field it was her eyes watching over them. It was her skills to be able to pack something that they didn't even think they would need. She had their back in every way and they were all appreciative of her. Other teams treated their support staff like the help, looked down on them, but not Bravo. Jason would never tolerate or stand for any of his men treating their support staff with anything but respect. They weren't out in the field with them, but they were helping to make sure they all got home. And everyone knew it. It was why so many of them would submit a transfer request to get put on his team when they had an opening.

The door opening had them all turning their attention to see who was coming in. Davis walked in and gave them all a warm smile.

"Hey, Bossman wants to see all of you. He's in the War Room with Mandy."

"They can't be spinning us up, we leave in two days." Ray said surprised.

"Maybe we're going early or getting dropped off on the way back." Trent suggested.

"No idea. Either way, you better get a move on, they don't seem happy." Davis said, before she headed out.

"Alright, let's go see what's going on." Jason ordered.

They all made their way down to the War Room to see Mandy and Blackburn standing there, staring daggers at each other. The tension was thick in the air so Sonny took it upon himself to try and relieve some of it.

"Uh-oh, it's never good when Mom and Dad are fighting."

Mandy gave Sonny one very unpleasant look as the Texan sat down, along with the others.

"Damn, what's going on?" Ray asked, as the others sat down.

"Nothing, just a disagreement." Blackburn said, still keeping his eyes on Mandy.

"It's more like you being stubborn. You have the authority to deny the request. They weren't ordered to do it, you were asked. You could just tell them no."

"I'm not going to. This is too important." Blackburn argued.

"So is what I need them to do in J-Bad. I can't have just any SEAL Team handling this. I need the best. That's why I'm assigned to Bravo, they are the best."

"And it's my call to determine where they are needed the most. I'm done arguing about this with you. That kid needs them more."

"He's not a kid. He's a high valued asset within the CIA."

"No he's a high valued asset within the Navy, who gets loaned out whenever your boss demands it. He doesn't work for the CIA he works for the Navy. And he is a kid. After everything he has been through he deserves the best watching his ass. That's my team. I suggest you go and prep for having another team do what you need, because until this threat is handled, they are sticking with the kid."

"You are making a huge mistake. How many lives are going to be killed with my targets out there? Hundreds of people will die. I need Bravo to go after them, not another SEAL Team. The asset will be fine with a lesser team watching him."

"He deserves the best for what he has been through. I'm done arguing with you on this. It is my call and I made it. Now get out of my War Room so I can brief my men." Blackburn ordered and everyone knew that tone in his voice. There was no arguing against him when he was like this.

Mandy turned and left the room, clearly not happy about losing this argument. Blackburn let out a sigh before he turned to face his men.

"What's going on?" Jason asked, he had a feeling he wasn't going to like this.

"Your tour has been canceled. Romeo will be going out by the end of the week instead. Charlie is going to stay until they arrive. You're going on a new mission."

"Well that explains why Mandy is pissed." Jason said.

"Must be a long one if we ain't going on tour afterwards." Sonny said.

"Where are we going?" Ray asked.

"Nowhere. You're staying local. It's a different type of mission. You'll be in plain clothes and have to keep your gun hidden."

"What's the job?" Brock asked.

"Protection detail and before you start moaning about how that is for a Green Team, save it. This kid deserves the best and he deserves to feel safe. He needs you, not some Green Team who will treat this as just another mission. He needs people who actually care."

"Who's the kid?" Ray asked.

Blackburn picked up the remote and turned on the screen. A picture of Clay Spenser appeared on the screen.

"This is Special Warfare Officer Clay Spenser, and before you ask, yes his father is Ash Spenser."

"We have to babysit that asshole's kid?" Sonny asked, not impressed at all.

"I know most people don't like Ash, I agree. But Clay is nothing like him. Ash hasn't been in his life since he was fourteen. According to his file, Clay's mother died when he was an infant, and Ash refused to give up his Active status. He continued to go on missions and on tour, even as a single father. He would have Clay put into a foster home while he was gone and then pick him up when he got back. When Clay was ten, his father stopped putting him in foster homes and would just leave him alone the whole time. Even when he was gone for six months on tour. At fourteen, he stopped coming home. Clay was placed in different foster homes, reports of neglect and physical abuse make up his childhood, between his father's own doing or from a foster parent. At sixteen he ran away and lived on the streets for two years before he joined the military. He hasn't seen Ash since he left him there at fourteen and told him he would be back in a week."

"Father of the year." Trent said sarcastically.

The others all nodded in agreement.

"Why does he need protection?" Jason asked.

"Clay is special. It was made clear very early on that he had a unique set of skills and it didn't take him long to make a name for himself."

"Yet we have never heard of him." Sonny commented.

"That's because everything he does is treated as the highest level of classified. No one was supposed to know he even exists half the time. In boot camp he graduated at the top of his class. His best skill was sharpshooting. He can hit a target over three thousand yards away. One bullet, one kill. He's the best sniper the military has. That put him on a different path. He wasn't placed in a squad, he was sent out to do assassinations for the CIA and top military brass. It was later discovered that he has a photographic memory and at the time he spoke six languages, now he's up to thirteen. Highly intelligent and his tactical thinking is impressive. He has a lot of potential, but he's never been on a team so that potential is just sitting there. He's never had someone there who could mentor him and nurture his mind."

"If he's that smart and skilled, why wouldn't the upper brass have put him on a team?" Ray asked, because it sounded like it would have been the better option for everyone involved.

"Because he was too good at what he was doing." Jason answered.

"Exactly. He went from being an assassin, to working undercover operations for the CIA in hostile areas. With him speaking so many languages he was perfect to send to war torn countries to take out high value targets. Terrorists that no one could get to, this kid could. He's only twenty-three years old and in the six years he's been in the military, he's maybe been stateside for a year total at most. He gets put on one operation right after the other. He goes in without support, without backup. It's just him to get in, get the target and get out. He's got an extensive medical file. He's done so much good though, that the upper brass gave him Tier One Status a year ago. He is one of us."

"They just gave it to him?" Sonny asked, not really liking that piece of information.

"After all of the operations he's done, yes. He's more than earned it trust me on that. He's got two purple hearts, or three technically now. Along with thirty-eight other medals, including a medal of honor and a silver star. He's saved millions of lives, doing operations that no one will ever know about. It's why he's considered the highest value asset the military has."

"Damn. That's a lot for only being in for six years." Brock said.

"And going at it alone." Trent said, more concerned for what this has been doing to him physically and mentally.

"Why does he need protection?" Jason asked. He was impressed by what he was hearing, but he also had a job to do.

This kid needed protection for a reason and that reason was why they were picked. They were the best, it made sense why the upper brass wanted them on this. They couldn't afford for their asset to be taken out of commission. Jason was happy to not be going on tour though, he would still get to see his kids.

"Six months ago roughly Clay was sent into the Korengal Valley to generate imtel on a possible sighting of a wanted terrorist." Blackburn started, but was cut off by Sonny.

"They sent him into that hell hole alone?"

"They did and it wasn't the first time either. He had reported on the third day that something didn't feel right. He couldn't get any confirmation that his target had even been in the Valley ever in his life. Less than two hours after making that report, he was captured by a terrorist cell and thrown into a POW Camp."

"Shit." Sonny said.

That was one place all soldiers feared to be. The one place they all did everything they could to never go. It was easier to avoid if you had a team watching your back, but Clay didn't. He had a feeling he was set up and not even two hours later he was captured. Whether they can prove it or not, they all knew it was too much of a coincidence.

"No way he just happened to get captured." Ray said with an edge to his voice.

"That's what the upper brass believed. They started looking into it, but didn't find anything right away. The kid was there for six months, he's only been out of it for two weeks now."

"They got him out at least. Where is he now?" Jason asked, feeling for this kid.

"They didn't get him out. After six months he was able to do the impossible. He escaped. He managed to get out and then walk over thirty miles, bare foot, across the hills to get to the small Canadian base there. The American base was closer, but he didn't know who he could trust so he went to the one place he knew would be safe, the Canadians."

"Smart kid." Brock said.

"He was there for almost two weeks being treated before he could be cleared to fly. He'll be touching down at the base here within the hour. He flew in with a small unit of Canadian soldiers and one of their medics to ensure he would arrive safely. Within the past two weeks the upper brass was able to get a lead on his case. They discovered that the terrorists had been filming the whole time, the camera was right in his cell. The feed was being streamed live to an IP address here in Virginia. That was later connected to a Commander Whitmore. When the team went to go and arrest him, he had somehow gotten word about it and he killed himself. We know he was in contact with someone that had access to the information on Clay's whereabouts, but we are unable to determine who that is. What we do know is that there is someone in some level of the military who wants the kid dead. Until we find that person you are to give twenty-four seven protection detail on him."

"How bad were his injuries? Does he need to be in the hospital?" Trent asked.

"His injuries are extensive. I know this might be tough, but I think it's something you need to see. This is a fast forwarded version of his six months there." Blackburn said, as he moved aside and pulled up the video and hit play.

They all sat there and watched as Clay, who was on his knees with his arms chained above his head, was tortured and repeatedly raped by multiple men. They watched as he was starved almost to death. They watched as he was whipped, beaten, cut, stabbed, electrocuted and burned. He was tortured and raped for six months with breaks only a day or two apart. And yet through all of that he had managed to escape and keep moving until he got to a place he considered to be safe enough to collapse. At twenty-three years old, he was going into places he never should have been forced to go, especially alone. At the end of it Blackburn turned to his men and he could see the anger and pain in their eyes. Pissed that Clay had been put through all of that and hurt because to them all, he was still a kid. He shouldn't have ever been put in this position. He was being taken advantage of because of his skills and because he didn't have anyone on his side to defend him or protect him.

"He was raped close to a hundred times. He has a skull fracture, pneumonia, five broken ribs, deep tissue bruising over eighty percent of his body, he needs dialysis twice a week to help heal his kidneys. He had to have emergency surgery on his right leg to repair the nerve damage from it being broken and not set right. They almost had to amputate his whole leg, but they were able to save it and with physical therapy he'll be fine again. He has a broken right collar bone, all of his fingernails were pulled out multiple times. The doctor didn't know if they will ever grow back at this point. His jaw is cracked, he's malnourished, he's a hundred and five pounds right now. He is also suffering from a severe vitamin D deficiency from being kept so long in the dark. His feet are both torn up from running through the woods. He's in real bad shape. He's in a lot of pain and he's going to be out for at least six months, assuming he even returns."

"Holy shit. Don't see how there is any returning after something like that." Sonny said sadly with a small shake of his head.

"He might never be able to. This kid has never had a family. He's never been on a team. He doesn't know what it feels like to be protected and safe. He needs your skills, but he also needs you. He needs people that will only see him as Clay and not some asset they have to protect. He needs people in his life right now that will have patience with him and treat him gently. He needs you."

"He's got us. Do we have any idea who it could be?" Jason asked.

"Not at this time. All of you don't need to be there twenty-four seven. You can take shifts. He has a two bedroom house I'm told, so you can take turns resting there during the night. Two men are with him at all times and one to be watching the street. I don't care how you do it, I don't know if Trent, you want to be there the whole time in case he needs medical attention. He's going to have problems for awhile."

"He's going to need a lot of help. I'll pack a bag and move in with him. He's not going to be moving around very well, he'll need help in the shower. It would be better for him if it's the same person every time. With him being raped, he's not going to trust anyone around him or touching him. We should have it where only the same three of us are in his house and the others can be rotating outside. He's not going to do well with all five of us coming and going. He needs consistency right now and then as he starts to get comfortable around those three we can get him used to someone else and build up to it."

"Makes sense. Who were you thinking of the other two?" Blackburn asked.

"Brock would be a good one. He's not big like Sonny, so he's not physically intimidating. And Cerb would be great for him. Dogs can really help with someone who is traumatized, it will also give him a sense of protection. Knowing that Cerb will hear if someone enters. And you might find that Cerb won't want to leave him alone. He'll be able to pick up on his pain. The other, I'm thinking Jace. He's larger, but if he uses his softer side, I think Clay would warm up to him. If nothing else Jace and him should connect on a tactical level. Clay has a lot of potential and he's highly intelligent, if Jace taps into his desire to learn, he should be able to get him talking and that will start to build a trust."

"Alright, Brock and Jason, you and Trent will be the main ones inside. Ray and Sonny, you have outside and then we can slowly start to get Clay used to you being around. I'll also be coming by to help out when you need it. Remember, you are to blend in, act like you know the kid and are there to help him out. We have no idea who set him up and until we apprehend this target, you don't leave him. Any questions?"

"I'd like his medical file so I can review all of his injuries and the treatment plan. I'll also need to set up his dialysis for him at the hospital." Trent said.

"I'll have that for you, the Canadian medic has the medications he needs to take. He'll be here soon, I suggest you make your way to the tarmac to meet him. He lives at 1023 Forester Road. One more quick thing, I don't know if anyone has contacted Ash, if he shows up, keep him away from the kid. We don't need him trying to turn this into his next book."

"Does that mean I get to shoot him?" Sonny asked with a smirk.

"Tempting. Dismissed, and I'll see you out on the tarmac."

They all got up and made their way towards the tarmac, with the exception of Trent. He headed straight for the infirmary so he could gather what supplies he may need. Tension was radiating off of each of them. It was one thing to hear that someone was in a POW Camp, it was a completely different thing to be seeing the result. To watch, even in fast motion, the torture he had gone through and now they were seeing the result of it. They were seeing the result of a brother being betrayed by his own country. At only twenty-three, he shouldn't have to have been going through all of this. He shouldn't have to be out there in dangerous and hostile areas all alone with no backup. Skilled or not, it should never have happened. It went against everything they all stood for.

"There's no way this kid is gonna trust any of us." Sonny said, as they arrived at the tarmac.

"It's gonna take a long time before he trusts anyone ever again. Can't say I blame the kid." Ray said.

"We'll earn it. Blackburn is right, he deserves this after everything he's been through. We'll show him that he can trust us and that we aren't like everyone else." Jason said.

He didn't know this kid, but he was not going to let him suffer through this alone. He couldn't be hard this time around. He had to be soft with him, but he couldn't be too soft and treat him as if he was an invalid. He needed to have a balance with Clay and he would have to see what that balance is as he interacted with him.

"That's not going to be easy Jace." Ray said.

"I know."

Jason did know that, he knew that the walls this kid was going to have would be almost impossible to break through, but he couldn't blame him. Not after everything he has been through. Not after having a father like Ash Spenser. Not after being tossed around like he didn't matter for his whole childhood. He just needed someone to show him they weren't going to leave him behind. Jason's team would be that person. It was ten minutes later when Trent came out onto the tarmac with a duffle bag full of medical supplies including IVs.

"Get what you need?" Sonny asked.

"For now. I'll have to see what else I might need to pick up once I get a look at his injuries. He's going to be in a lot of pain. He won't be able to move around much. And we'll have to be real careful with what he eats. His body needs to start off slow to get back to normal."

"We'll pick up some food once we get him there." Ray said.

"Don't worry I got that covered."

They turned to see Davis and Blackburn heading over to them.

"Here's a couple copies of his key in case you need it." Blackburn said, handing one to Jason and Ray and another to Davis.

"Blackburn has filled me in. What do you need?" Davis asked, with a notebook and pen already in her hands.

"I'm going to be living there for now, can you go to my place and pack a bag for me. Just some things for the next two weeks?" Trent asked.

"Got it. What about food, what does he need?"

"Bland and simple. So chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, salted soda crackers, oatmeal, white rice, some potatoes to mash, white bread, peanut butter, popsicles, jello, plain chips, gatorade would be good too. Also some vitamin D drops to add to his water. You might not be able to find them for adults, but in the infant section they should have them. Between the drops and being out in the sun that should correct his deficiency pretty quickly." Trent listed.

"Got it, ok and the rest of you? Just grab a few things for meals for now?"

"Ya, you know what we like. Coffee, make sure you grab coffee." Jason said.

"Ok, anything else you need me to handle?"

"The hospital, if you could call them and set up his appointments for dialysis, he needs it twice a week." Trent said.

"On it. I'll handle that first and then grab the food and your stuff. I'll meet you at his house."

"Thanks Davis." Ray said on their behalf.

"It's no problem. And hey, look at the bright side, we don't have to go to the desert." Davis said with a smile to try and cheer them all up.

"Thanks God for that." Sonny said with a huge smile on his face.

Davis headed out and the others waited for another twenty minutes before they saw the plane finally touch down. They made their way over the the loading door and watched as it lowered and Clay was pushed out in a wheelchair. His right arm was in a sling, he had a leg brace on his right leg, he was wearing grey sweatpants and a grey zip up sweater to match. He was covered in cuts and bruises, they couldn't see a single spot on him that wasn't some shade of black, blue or purple. And he looked absolutely miserable. They could see from there the yellow in Clay's eyes from the vitamin D deficiency. He was accompanied by four other Canadian soldiers that would be given a drive back up to the base in Borden, Ontario. Cerberus ran over to them and walked around the wheelchair, wagging his tail. Bravo stood there waiting to see how Clay would react to Cerb. They didn't know everything that happened to him and he might be skittish around dogs. He didn't seem too bothered by it.

When they were close enough the soldier that was pushing Clay stopped and Cerberus went right over to Clay's good side and placed his paw on Clay's leg before putting his head down. Clay moved a shaky hand and placed it on Cerberus' head to give him a small pet. Jason went over and he bent down so he was eye level with Clay. He normally wouldn't, but after everything he had been through, he didn't want Clay feeling like he was being looked down on. He wanted Clay to feel comfortable and at ease, as much as he could anyways.

"Hey Spenser, I'm Jason Hayes, the leader of Bravo Team. Our Commanding Officer, Eric Blackburn. Ray Perry my second in command. Sonny Quinn, our weapons specialist. Trent Sawyer, our team medic and Brock Reynolds our K9 handler. And this guy is Cerberus, we call him Cerb most of the time." Jason said as he pointed to each member.

Clay looked at them all, but he was also looking around. He was unsettled and anxious, not that they could blame him. After everything he had been through it only made sense that he was scared and jittery.

"I'm Jack Holden, these are my men, Mike Wittle, Shawn Smith, and Mark Rogers." The Canadian soldier standing behind Clay said.

"Thanks for bringing him home." Ray said.

"Glad we were there to help." Jack said.

"I'd like to speak with your medic if that's fine." Mark said.

"Ya of course." Trent answered.

The two of them went over just a little ways so they could talk in private. Mark had a black cane and a small bag in his hand. He handed the items over to Trent as he spoke.

"These are his meds. He's on an antibiotic, he's on Tramadol for the pain and Stemetil for the nausea and dizziness. He's got allergies though to a lot of medications. These ones seem to be working for him and he's had them in the past, he said."

"It's heavy for just three pill bottles." Trent said, as he felt the weight of the bag.

"He can't take normal pills. One of his main allergies is phosphate, they use it to bind pills the Doc said. The Tramadol and Stemetil were able to come in liquid gel caps, but the antibiotic is the liquid stuff, and he needs a lot of it. You'll have to get it refilled too we could only get so much."

"Phosphate is a serious allergy to have, it's in every normal pill, even vitamins. Do you know how severe the allergy is?" It wouldn't be an easy one to get around that was for sure. Gel caps work because it's a different process, but the majority of medications don't come that way.

"Highly allergic. He was in a coma for three weeks from it, he almost died when he was younger. He's allergic to morphine, hence the Tramadol. He hasn't had any issues with it so far."

"Anything for the deficiency?"

"No, the Doc seemed confident that it would clear up once he was eating and out in the sun. He didn't see the need to add another medication into the mix, especially when we have no idea how he would react to it."

Trent gave a nod. "How's the pain?"

"Extreme. It's been almost two weeks, so his feet are almost healed, but he's not moving very fast. His right leg will need physical therapy to help him relearn how to walk properly. He needs to use the cane, but he can't use it properly because his right collar bone is broken and his arm is in the sling. He can walk, it's just very slow and painful for him. He has to do breathing exercises for his lungs from the damage the pneumonia is doing. He's had it for about three months from what the Doc could figure. The skull fracture was seven inches long, he's still pretty out of it and gets mixed up and confused easily. He won't remember to take his medication either. He has over eight hundred stitches in his back from the lashes, he has five, third degree electrical burns on his chest. They need to be cleaned and changed twice a day. The cream is in the bag. He doesn't sleep real well. He gets nightmares and anxiety. He's had a couple anxiety attacks already. The Doc says it's too early to tell, but he'll most likely have PTSD from what happened. The sooner he gets in to talk to someone the better chance he'll have at overcoming it. He's not real good with touching either. He can only tolerate it for a couple of minutes. He won't let anyone help him in the shower or getting dressed either."

"That's common with rape victims. Ok, anything else?"

"No, that should be it. I'm sure you'll discover things as time goes on. That's all we know."

"Alright, thanks for everything you've done for him." Trent said, as he held his hand out. Mark easily took it as he spoke.

"Wish we could have done more."

"You kept him safe and got him home. That means a lot. It's our turn now."

"I wish you the best of luck."

They made their way back over to the others and saw that Jason was speaking with Clay.

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Clay looked over as Trent and Mark headed off. He knew they would be talking about him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was exhausted, he just wanted to be able to sleep and not wake up screaming. He wanted his bed. His soft, king size bed. He wanted to be able to lay in it and watch his TV. He wanted to be able to sit in his shower and let the hot water run over him. He just wanted his home. Jason's voice snapped his attention back over to him.

"I'm sure you just want to get home. My team has been assigned to your protection until the leak has been handled. It's just a precaution."

"You don't know who?" Clay's voice was very hoarse and soft. They could hear the pain in it and they could see how much of a toll it took on his injured jaw to speak.

"Not yet. We had a suspect, but he killed himself before we were able to discover who he was working with. We will find the other target and eliminate him. For now, it is best to have Bravo watching your back." Blackburn answered.

"How long till you find him?" Clay asked.

"I don't have a time frame for you. But until we do, these men will keep you safe. We have our best techs on this. They will find the target." Blackburn promised.

"You don't have to worry though. You're safe. We'll protect you and make sure you are left alone. All you have to worry about is getting healthy. We got your back." Jason said.

"You must be lookin' forward to bein' home. Gettin' to sleep in your own bed." Sonny said.

"I get to be home?" Clay asked, and they could hear the slight confusion in his voice.

"Ya Spenser, you're going home." Jason said, doing his best to hide the pain he was feeling.

Sitting here in front of him was not a highly valued military asset. This wasn't some battle scarred veteran that could handle anything that came his way. This was a twenty-three year old traumatised victim. This is what happens when you spend six years on your own in war torn countries. This is what happens when you are betrayed by your country. This is what happens when you spend six months in a POW Camp, all alone. Trent and Mark made their way back over to them and Jason spoke.

"All set?" He asked Tremt

"Good to go Boss." Trent said with a nod.

"Let's get you home brother." Jason said warmly, as he stood up.

"I'll show you four to your ride home." Blackburn said, to the Canadian soldiers.

"That would be great thanks. Feel better Spenser." Jack said warmly.

Jason went and started to push the wheelchair and they all made their way towards their cars. They decided that they would take Ray's SUV for Ray, Sonny and Brock. While the rest would go into Trent's car, because it would be easier for Clay to get in and out of. Once they arrived at the cars Trent opened the back passenger door for Clay.

"Do you need help getting in?" Jason asked.

"I got it." Clay said, but they could hear the pain all throughout his voice.

"Go as slow as you need, don't hurt yourself." Jason said, he could understand why Clay needed to do this small task himself. He had no problem letting him, but he would be close by to make sure he didn't hurt himself from it.

Clay very slowly stood up, making sure he kept his right leg from touching the ground. Placing his left hand on the top of the car he slowly got himself down onto the seat. Jason moved the wheelchair back and Sonny took it and placed it into the trunk. Cerberus went to jump into the car with Clay, but Brock was able to hold him back to stop him from jumping onto Clay's injured leg.

"No boy, we're going in the other car." Brock said.

"You good?" Jason asked Clay.

Clay just gave a small nod. They could tell he was trying to get the pain under control from that simple movement. Jason closed the door as Trent opened the front passenger door so Clay wouldn't feel trapped. Cerberus quickly went and jumped into the passenger seat and then over the middle console to get to the empty back seat. He then laid down and placed his head down on Clay's good leg. Clay placed his hand on Cerberus' head once again.

"Are you ok with him riding with you?" Brock asked through the open door.

Clay just gave a nod and Brock figured Cerberus was helping him more than he realised.

"We'll meet you there." Jason said, looking to get them going.

He got into the front passenger seat while Trent went around to the driver's side. Ray, Sonny and Brock headed for Ray's car. They started to make the drive to Clay's house. None of them saying anything because they knew how much pain it caused Clay to talk. Between the crack jaw and his broken ribs, it would be painful for him to talk and breathe. It was fifteen minutes later when they were driving right along the water when Clay broke the silence.

"Can I put the window down?"

"Of course." Trent answered.

Clay reached over very carefully and pushed the window button. He couldn't help, but place his head back against the seat and close his eyes at the smell of the salt water. He loved living on the water. He loved the smell and the peaceful sound of the waves hitting the shore. It was why he bought his house. He wanted to live right on the water so that no matter what happened to him on missions, he would always come back home to his salvation. He didn't get to spend as much time here as he had wished, but when he did get to be home, he always took full advantage of it. They drove for another thirty minutes before they finally arrived at Clay's house. It was a one storey ranch style home that was five thousand square feet that sat on a ten acre property with a thousand feet of private beach. It was an expensive buy, but Clay knew it was worth every cent of it. The house itself was older and Clay had been doing his own renovations to it to make it what he wanted. Currently after being left untouched for six months, it looked horrible. The grass was a jungle with weeds and it being up to their knees. The outside of the house still looked the same to Clay. He had bought paint to use to fix it up, but he hadn't gotten around to it yet. As it stood, the old faded yellow paint was peeling off from it and with it being dirty it gave it a brown tint to it. The gutters were growing grass and weeds from them and the front walk had weeds growing through the cracks. It was not appealing, but Clay loved the sight of it in this moment. This was home.

They pulled up the driveway, but didn't pull into the garage. They would worry about that later. Trent parked and Ray parked behind him, giving Clay enough room to get out. The front door though had three steps leading up to it, so they couldn't use the wheelchair to get Clay inside. Jason got out and opened the door for Clay, while the others got out.

"How do you want to do this? I know you are in a lot of pain and we can't get the wheelchair up the steps. Do you want to use the cane or one of us can help you walk." Jason asked with a calm and patient voice.

"Cane." Was all Clay said.

He knew it would hurt like hell, but he was not going to let anyone touch him unless he had no other choice. He just wanted to do things on his own, that is what he was used to. He took care of himself and he was damn good at it. Trent passed the cane to Jason and he held it for Clay. Clay very slowly got his legs out of the car and then took the cane from Jason. With great effort Clay was able to use his good leg and stand up from the car. The others all watched as Clay slowly made his way to his front door. Their bodies fighting the urge to go over and help him. They could understand his need to do it on his own, but at the same time they were so used to having each other's backs that the simple act of helping one of them walk was natural to them. They could take care of themselves sure, but it wasn't about that. It was about not always having to be strong. It was about knowing that you could lean on one of your brothers and they would be there. Clay didn't have that. He's never had that and you could see the affect it was having on him.

Once Clay made it to the stairs he took a shaky breath. His whole body was screaming at him to stop moving, but he couldn't do that yet. He had to get inside to do that. With a very slow and agonizing step he was able to lift his body up the first step. Afterwards he had to take a minute to get the pain under control before he did it again and then took the last step. His body was shaking from the pain and pure exhaustion, but he was almost there. He was almost inside and then he could get to his bed and just sleep. Ray moved over to the door and unlocked it and held it open. Clay made his way inside and just stood there taking it all in.

To the right of him was his very large living room with one wall floor to ceiling windows that lead out to the patio he had built with a built in outdoor kitchen. He had outdoor furniture and a built in fire pit, along with a hot tub big enough for eight people. He didn't know seven other people, but he had designed it with the foolish hope that one day he might actually have friends or family that he would want to have over. So far he had been the only one to use it. His living room held different black leather pieces of furniture as well as a flat screen tv. His kitchen though, was another story. He forgot that he was in the middle of renovating it, so there was literally nothing in it, but his fridge and stove hooked up to it. There was also no flooring in the whole house, except for the bedrooms and his bathroom. He wasn't expecting for any of this to have happened to him. He was going to get the kitchen finished the next time he was home.

"I forgot it looked like this." Clay said, as he swayed slightly.

Jason carefully placed his hands on Clay's arms to steady him.

"It's fine. How about you sit down for a second." Jason said.

"I want my bed."

"I know, but you've been gone for six months now. We need to change the sheets so they aren't covered in dust. How about you sit just for a minute, catch your breath and we'll get you set up in your bed."

Clay gave a small nod and Jason helped to guide him over to the couch. Clay gave out a groan as he sat down. His whole body was shaking and it was getting a little hard to breathe. Sonny opened the water bottle he grabbed from the back of Ray's car and handed it to Jason.

Jason gave it to Clay as he spoke. "Take small sips it'll help."

Clay took the bottle, but Jason also kept his hand on it when he saw that Clay's grip wasn't too strong. Clay took a few small sips before he let Jason have the bottle.

"Clay, I'm gonna go change the sheets ok?" Trent asked.

Clay just gave a nod and Trent made his way down the hallway to find the bedroom and the linen closet. He looked into the open doors and found the bathroom, it looked like something from the sixties. The next room was a large open and empty space. The back wall had an old bar that looked like it would fall over at any minute. The next room was a home gym fully set up with multiple pieces of equipment. Trent moved on and found a closed door, he opened it and found the linen closet. He grabbed some clean sheets and pillow cases before he moved on. The next open room he came across was fully renovated into a library. Every wall was covered in books, all in different genres, fiction, non fiction and in different languages. There was a skylight in the middle of the room to allow in natural sunlight. There was also an oversized large leather chair in the middle of the room. Trent could tell that this room meant a great deal to Clay. There was love for this room and it showed.

Trent made his way to the very last room of the house and saw that it was Clay's bedroom. This room was beautiful, it was the only way Trent could think of to describe it. It was facing the beach, the one wall had a french doors that opened to another patio with furniture and a fire pit. The room was large enough for a sitting area, a mounted fifty-five inch flat screen tv hooked up with an X-Box and dvd player. There was a king size bed on the opposite side of the room. Trent moved over to one of the closed doors and saw that it was a large closet that a woman would die for. Clay didn't have much clothes in it, but he figured that Clay was thinking of a future wife with this closet. Trent then went over to the other closed door and found a huge bathroom. There was a tub big enough for four people, a shower with multiple shower heads and a bench in it. There was a washer and dryer in one corner as well. Clay spent the time putting together the rooms that mattered most to him and it showed. Trent made quick work of getting the sheets changed. He was going to toss the comforter into the wash to get it clean for him as well. He found in the closet a lighter blanket that Clay could use for now.

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Sonny looked around at the kitchen as he spoke.

"Was someone supposed to be finishin' this while you were gone?"

"I do it myself. I'm not home often or for long, so it takes a while. I forgot I was doing it." Clay said slowly.

"You've done all the work yourself?" Ray asked surprised.

Clay just gave a nod.

"This property is amazing." Brock said as he looked out the window.

"Guess you like the water eh?" Sonny said.

"Love it. I swim all the time out to the little island."

Sonny gave a small groan and the others all smiled. At the confused look on Clay's face Ray spoke.

"Sonny's afraid of swimming in the ocean."

"I'm not afraid of swimming, just what can eat you in the water." Sonny corrected.

"You're in the Navy." Clay said with a very small smirk.

It should have annoyed Sonny, but for some odd reason seeing even just that small little smirk, it gave him a warm feeling in his chest.

"Sharks don't care that you're there to save someone's ass. They just know you taste good." Sonny argued.

"He has a bracelet he wears to repel sharks." Jason said.

"But they don't work. It's been proven that they don't." Clay said.

"Hey mine does. Davis found it for me and she wouldn't lie about somethin' like that."

Clay looked at the others and based on their faces he knew that that was exactly what Davis had done.

"Sure." Was all Clay said.

"You got friends that will be wantin' to come and stop by to see you?" Sonny asked.

"Don't have any. Anyone coming to look for me, just make em leave."

"You must have one friend." Brock said.

"Against the rules."

"What rules?" Jason asked, completely serious now.

"Strict rules I have to follow to ensure that no one knows what I do or knows me. No friends or girlfriend, can't let anyone get close that could be used to find intel on me."

"That's no way to live Clay." Sonny said gently.

"It wasn't like that at first, things got more strict after the first year. I'm used to it. I'm almost never Stateside anyways."

"Still doesn't make it right. No one should have to go through life alone, especially the life we live. Having someone there is what gets you through the dark times. It's human nature to need someone there on your side." Ray said.

It was clear that Clay didn't know what to say to that, so he just gave a very small one shoulder shrug. Jason figured he would change the subject for him.

"Trent is gonna be staying here with you for a little while, it's just in case you need any help and with him being a medic he can take care of your injuries. Two of us will be outside at all times and often you'll see me and Brock in here too. Cerb can also stay with you if you'd like too."

Clay just gave a nod and Cerb placed his head down on Clay's left leg. The others could tell it was a lot for him to take in. They couldn't blame him. He was finally home, but his home was not exactly in the best of conditions. They were hoping the bedroom would be in better shape. Trent came back out and gave Clay a small smile as he spoke.

"Ok, sheets are changed and I have your comforter in the wash now for you. Let's get you into bed."

"You're in pain and exhausted. Why don't you let me help you get up." Jason said gently.

Clay thought about it for a moment. He didn't like the idea of anyone touching him or having to need help. He wasn't used to it, but he was in an extreme amount of pain and he had no idea how he was even going to manage to stand up. If he wanted to be in his bed, he would have to get some help. Clay gave a small nod and Jason stood up. He went around to Clay's left side and Clay put his arm over Jason's shoulders. Trent came closer just in case they needed help as Jason gently lifted Clay up onto his feet. The look of pain all across Clay's face had all of their chests tightening. Jason stood still to give Clay a moment to adjust and only when he gave a nod did Jason help him walk. Trent and Cerberus followed them both down the hallway and into Clay's bedroom. By the time Jason got Clay sitting down on his bed he was trembling all over and had his eyes scrunched up in pain. Clay let out a few slow breaths to try and get the pain under control.

"Clay, I just need to look at your injuries real quick and then you can get some sleep." Trent said.

"If you're good, I'll head out and give you some privacy." Jason said.

"We're good." Trent reassured, as he got his medical bag open.

"You need anything Spenser just call."

Clay just gave a small nod and Jason made his way out of the room to give them some privacy.

"Spenser, I just need to change your bandages and put cream on your burns. Then you can sleep, ok?"

Clay just gave a nod and Trent could tell he was not in the mood, but he didn't have much of a choice so he was accepting it.

"Ok, let's get the sling off so we can take your sweater off."

Trent made sure he went slow, but he also worked quickly so Clay would be able to tolerate it. It was a hard balance, but he didn't want Clay to have an anxiety attack at his touch. Trent removed the sling, being careful to only move Clay's arm just enough to get the sling off. Then he went to unzip Clay's sweater, but once he touched the zipper, Clay tensed and pulled back slightly. Trent immediately held his hands up slightly to show Clay that he was no threat. Clay closed his eyes for a second to get his anxiety back down.

"Sorry." Clay said with a shaky voice.

"It's ok. After everything you have been through it's natural for you to be having problems with it."

Clay opened his eyes and he could see it in Trent's.

"You know what they did." Clay said horrified that these men knew that he was raped multiple times.

"We do. We had to be briefed on your injuries."

Clay could feel the anxiety increasing and his breathing started to come out faster. They all knew he was raped. They all knew the level of torture he had gone through. He knew logically that he had nothing to be ashamed of. He had no control over it and he fought as best as he could, but his hands were chained and he couldn't do anything to stop them. But he didn't feel that way. He felt ashamed, embarrassed and disgusted with himself. He didn't want anyone to know, but especially these men. These men that he was going to be around all the time until whoever betrayed him was dealt with. To know that brave and strong men now knew just how weak he was was too much for Clay.

"Clay, Clay listen to me I need you to slow your breathing down. Calm down, it's ok."

Trent had figured that Clay already knew that they were briefed on his injuries. Apparently no one had told him that on his plane ride over. It was natural for Clay to be feeling embarrassed about what happened to him, but Trent didn't want him to think that any of them thought less of him. Clay slowed his breathing down and once it was under control Trent spoke.

"Clay, we know what happened to you, but we don't think less of you. I know it's hard for you to not feel like you should be ashamed. But you have nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by. We don't think less of you. We don't look at you and see a victim. You survived six months in that camp and you managed to escape. That's a strength that we all admire. You don't have to hide from us. Or be afraid of us, we're not going to hurt you."

Clay took a few shaky breaths in before he gave a small nod. He didn't feel better, but he knew that if he wanted to be alone he had to get through this first.

"Why don't you unzip your sweater?" Trent offered.

Clay moved a shaky hand over to his zipper and very slowly pulled it down. Trent then went and helped him to remove it. Underneath was just a black t-shirt and ideally he would have wanted that removed as well, but he knew that it would be even more pain added to Clay and that Clay was not going to tolerate being shirtless right now. That would be something they would have to work up to. For now Trent was going to work around it.

"Can you lift your shirt so I can treat your burns please?"

Trent made sure to keep his voice calm and gentle. He didn't want to rush Clay and cause him to have an attack. Clay did as he was told and Trent made quick work at changing his bandages and applying the cream. The burns were bad, but they would heal on their own, thankfully. Once the burns were handled Trent turned his attention to Clay's back and looked at his stitches. After changing the bandages he got Clay to put his shirt back down. With the injuries treated he helped Clay get the sling back on, but he kept the sweater off as he didn't want Clay's fever to increase.

"With your injuries sleeping on your left side will probably be the most comfortable to you." Trent said.

Clay just gave a tired nod and Trent knew he would be asleep within minutes. He helped Clay get under the covers and he added some pillows to Clay's left side to help prop up his right leg and arm. Once Clay was comfortable Trent covered him with the blanket he had found. Cerberus made himself comfortable right beside Clay, staying as close to the pillows as he thought he could be. Clay placed his hand on Cerberus' body.

"Do you need anything?" Trent asked.

"Can you open that?" Clay said pointing slightly towards the patio door.

"Ya sure. It'll need to be shut at night though." Trent said as he headed over to the door.

"I know, just for a bit."

Trent opened the doors and you could instantly hear the sound of the waves against the shore. Clay closed his eyes and felt the tension in his body starting to disappear.

"Call if you need anything or just tell Cerb which one of us you want and he'll either bark or come get us."

"Ok." Clay said, and Trent could tell he was barely awake.

Trent made his way out of the room and closed the door most of the way, but he left it open enough that Cerberus would be able to get it open should Clay need them.

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Jason headed back out to the kitchen to see the others there minus Sonny.

"Where'd Sonny go?" Jason asked.

"He went to see if the garage had a lawn mower." Ray answered.

"How is he?" Brock asked.

"He's in a lot of pain. Trent is checking his injuries. This is a nice piece of land." Jason said as he looked out the window.

"It's a damn nice place. There's blueprints for the kitchen floor plan." Ray said.

Sonny walked back inside as he spoke. "Found a lawnmower. The garage is full of renovation supplies. The kitchen cabinets, flooring, paint for inside and outside. Looks like he got everything he needed and was just plannin' on doing the work as he had the time."

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do. Sonny you and Ray will head out and do a perimeter check. Afterwards, why don't you work on cleaning the outside up. Trent, Brock and I will work on the kitchen." Jason suggested.

"Sound good Boss. Not one for doing home renovations, but seems like it's the least we can do to help him." Sonny said.

"It'll also be good for others to see us around. We might find some information out from the neighbors, if he has any." Ray said.

"Remember, no one can know who we are." Jason said.

"I know, don't worry. " Ray waved him off.

Him and Sonny headed out to check the perimeter while Brock and Jason checked out the blueprints for the kitchen. Clay had everything labeled so it seemed easy enough for them to put it together. Clay was going to be doing it on his own so they should have no problem with the three of them. They headed to the garage and started to look for the cabinets that they needed for the top of the kitchen. By the time they had gotten everything inside Trent was just coming down the hallway.

"How is he?" Jason asked.

"He's pretty injured. It's going to take a while before he's pain free. Cerb laid down next to him. I don't see him leaving anytime soon." Trent answered as he grabbed the antibiotic and placed it in the fridge.

"What's that?" Brock asked.

"Turns out Spenser has a severe allergy to phosphate. It's used to bind the chemicals together to make pills. He is also allergic to other medications like morphine. His two medications are gel caps and he's fine with them, but his antibiotic doesn't come in gel cap form so he has to have the liquid stuff."

"Because he didn't have enough problems." Jason said with a shake of his head.

"It's just one more thing to make his life harder being alone on operations. He would really benefit from having a steady medic with him. At least he would have what he needed and not have to worry about someone giving him something he could be allergic to. It doesn't make his life any easier."

"There's got to be a way to change things for him." Brock said.

"Blackburn is probably already on it." Jason said.

"He didn't know that we knew what had happened to him. He almost had an anxiety attack when he found out that we knew about the rapes." Trent said with a sigh.

"He's gonna struggle with that. It's gonna be a long time before he trusts any of us, especially with touching him." Jason said.

"According to the Canadian medic, the Doc down there suspects he'll have PTSD. He's already suffering from nightmares and has had anxiety attacks since he was found. He's going to need to talk to someone about it soon before it gets really bad."

"We can approach that conversation in a couple of days. Give him a little bit of time to adjust to us being around and being back home. Being here should hopefully help him sleep better." Jason said.

"He asked for me to open his patio door. He really likes the sound of waves crashing against the shore. This house is something. His bedroom and bathroom are fully renovated. He's got a library where the second bedroom is and a home gym. He focused on the rooms that mattered most to him. The ones that would bring him the most peace." Trent said.

"His bedroom looked amazing. He built a sanctuary. It makes sense that he would focus on what mattered most to him with the life he's been thrown into. But if the second bedroom is now a library that means you have nowhere to sleep." Jason said.

"I can sleep on one of the couches. There is also a large room that looks like it was used as a game room or something by the previous owner. It's completely empty, I could always use my bedroll and sleep in there."

"Wouldn't be the first time we've had to sleep rough. At least he's got a couple of couches." Brock said.

"What are we doing?" Trent asked with a nod to the boxes.

"We have the blueprints for the kitchen. He's got it all labeled and the boxes labeled, we're gonna put it together. Ray and Sonny are doing a perimeter check before they tackle outside." Jason answered.

"Sounds good." Trent said with a nod.

The three of them got to work on the kitchen so they could get it up and running today. It was an hour later when the front door opened and Davis walked in with some bags. She had changed at some point because she was no longer wearing her uniform. Trent immediately went over to her and grabbed the bags from her.

"Is there more?" Brock asked.

"Ya in the trunk."

Brock gave a nod and headed out to grab the rest. Trent and Jason had started to put what food needed to be in the fridge away.

"Wow, this place is nice." Davis said as she went to look out the glass wall.

"It is a nice piece of property. He has some of the rooms renovated too. You wouldn't believe what his bedroom looks like." Trent said.

"I saw Sonny outside swearing at the lawnmower. You guys working on the kitchen?" Davis asked with a nod in the direction of the partly assembled kitchen.

"Figured we help him out. He's done it all himself. With him being home now he should have a kitchen. Any problems?" Jason asked.

"Nope. Got him set up for dialysis for tomorrow at one and then again on Friday for the same time."

"Great thanks. Hopefully he won't need it too long." Trent said.

Brock walked in with the rest of the groceries and placed them down on the floor.

"Where's Cerb?" Davis asked.

"Up on the kid's bed. He won't leave him alone." Brock answered.

"Probably for the best. Dogs are great that way. He in bad shape?"

"He's in a lot of pain. It's gonna take some time." Trent said sadly.

"We'll he's got all the time he needs according to Blackburn. He can't be active until he's healed and this threat is eliminated." Davis said.

"We'll find the target and eliminate him. Whoever it is, they're not getting away with what they have done to him." Jason said with determination and anger.

Davis could see the same look on Trent and Brock's face as well. No one in Bravo was going to let whoever gave up Clay's location get away with it. She would be shocked if they didn't kill the target, not that she could blame them.

"I'll go out and help Sonny. Make sure he doesn't shoot the lawnmower." Davis said with a smile.

"Good luck with that." Jason said with a smirk.

Davis gave a small chuckle as she headed outside. The others got back to work on the kitchen. It would take a few hours before they would get it all set up and completed, but by the end of the night it would be ready. Tomorrow they could always work on the flooring and the backsplash for Clay. It was a small and simple thing to most people, but helping Clay get at least this part of his home complete would mean a lot to him. They were all hoping that tomorrow would be a little bit better for him.


End file.
